The Tenth Season

Married with Children is a risque television series that takes a slapstick approach to comedy about a man whose life couldn't be any worse. Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) is a former high school football star turned women's shoe salesman. After his glorious high school days, nothing has really gone in the right way for Bundy. He's such a loser that you can't help but laugh. Al's wife Peggy (Katey Sagal) was his high school sweetheart and the major cause of his headaches. They also have two kids: Kelly (Christina Applegate) and Bud (David Faustino). Next door are their neurotic neighbors Marcy (Amanda Bearse) and Jefferson (Ted McGinley). Together, the Bundys and the D'Arcys get into outrageous and comical situations. For additional information about the series, please refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one, season two, season three, season four, season five, season six, season seven, season eight, and season nine.

Season ten is the series' second to last and it is loads of fun. In it, the Bundy's and the Darcy's find themselves in one hilarious situation after the other. The content builds on the same type of humor as past seasons, but has new and different situations. At the fore, Peggy's large and in charge mother separates from her redneck husband; to Al's dismay, she moves into the house. The fuller house is used as the butt of many jokes, which includes a daring 1-900 service. Bud moves into the basement to improve his chances with the ladies. Kelly continues to excel in her acting career. Al does what he does best--fail at life--and Peggy bleeds him dry. The Darcy's are involved in almost all of the hilarious drama from a wild spring break to NO MA'AM endeavors. Season ten has a lot to offer viewers and should not be missed by fans of the series.

The season starts with "Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast". This episode is a great way to begin. There are two main plotlines. First, Bud is getting close to sealing the deal with a young hottie. Unfortunately, his advances are repeatedly thwarted by Al and the rest of the family. They violate his privacy and make an intimate evening with his lady friend impossible. Bud decides to move out, but can't afford it. He settles for the basement. Second, Al comes home one day to find Peggy's mother living upstairs. She had a fight with her husband. Al goes to Wanker county to talk Peggy's dad Ephraim (Tim Conway) into taking her back. Just as Al's luck would have it, he convinces his father-in-law that he is better off without the old ball and chain. The breakup is revisited in later episodes like "Bearly Men" and "Love Conquers Al".

There are a couple really fun episodes with Al's mens only group NO MA'AM. "Reverend Al" is one of the season's best. Al and his group get tired of paying too much money for beer and snacks. Since their funds are dependent on what their wives let them spend, they get the idea to become a church. The holy status gives them tax exempt status. Amazingly, men around the world support NO MA'AM. Al becomes a TV evangelist, although Marcy is his biggest threat. In "Flight Of the Bumble Bee", Bud pledges the men's group and has to pose as an amateur wrestler to get in. Unfortunately for Bud, he has to fight. The situation gets dicey for the NO MA'AMers when the wives enjoy watching the wrestling match with them. These episodes are just good fun.

As for the rest of the season, there are a number of great episodes. "Dud Bowl II" is a real classic. Marcy's bank is sponsoring a new scoreboard for Polk High. Al's name is at the top of the list for it to be named after him. After all, Al scored four touchdowns in one game. No one holds a candle to him in that department... except for Terry Bradshaw. "The Hood, the Bud, and The Kelly" is a fun two-part episode. Kelly is going to leave him as a client and Bud gets into a live or death situation to keep her. "Spring Break" is another great two-part episode, where Kelly and friends convince Bud's fraternity to give up their spring break vacation. It is wild times. "Kiss Of The Coffee Woman" is hectic for Al and Marcy. Kelly and Jefferson get a commercial, but have to kiss each other. Al and Marcy join sides against it.

Overall, season ten has a lot of hilarious episodes. The show continues to use the same type of humor, jokes, and antics as past seasons. For this show, it works and it works well. Fans of the show will not be disappointed with this fantastic season. It is ridiculous, goofy, and all-around fun.

Episode Guide

1. Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner: When Bud decides to move out, Peggy's mother arrives to stay.
2. A Shoe Room With A View: Al arranges for an aerobics studio to open next to the shoe store.
3. Requiem For A Dead Briard: The family tries to console Kelly when Buck dies.
4. Reverend Al: Al and his friends turn NO MA'AM into a tax-exempt church.
5. How Bleen Was My Kelly: Kelly accidentally invents a baldness cure with some unusual side effects.
6. The Weaker Sex: Al suffers public scorn when Peggy is declared a hero for taking out a pickpocket.
7. Flight Of The Bumble Bee: Bud takes on wrestler King Kong Bundy as his initiation into NO MA'AM.
8. Blonde & Blonder: Kelly's class reunion becomes the scene for an ex-nerd's revenge.
9. The Two That Got Away: Bumped from their fishing lodge cabin, Al and Jefferson seek revenge against the actress Shannon Tweed.
10. Dud Bowl II: Marcy is determined to keep Polk High's new football scoreboard from being named after Al.
11. Bearly Men: Al must prove himself a man so his father-in-law will take Peggy's mom back home.
12. Love Conquers Al: Peggy takes Al and her parents to a marriage therapy retreat.
13. I Can't Believe It's Butter: Al forces Peggy's mom to get a job right before Christmas.
14. The Hood, The Bud and The Kelly (Part I): To keep Kelly as a client, Bud sets out to produce a sexy exercise video.
15. The Hood, The Bud and The Kelly (Part II): In order to save his life, Bud must finish his exercise video on time.
16. Calendar Girl: Al uses Bud's class project to beat out a rival shoe store owner.
17. The Agony And The Extra C: A Jefferson anniversary surprise is ruined when a drunken tattoo artist misspells Marcy's name.
18. Spring Break (Part I): As Kelly and her friends trick Bud's fraternity out of their spring break in Florida, Al and Griff join Jefferson in Fort Lauderdale to judge a college co-ed beauty contest.
19. Spring Break (Part II): While Al prepares to cheat to see that Kelly is named Miss Spring Break, Marcy and Bud lead some burned fraternity brothers to Florida for revenge.
20. Turning Japanese: To secure a big promotion at the bank, Marcy must first buy Al's car for her Japanese boss.
21. Al Goes To The Dogs: Al and Marcy clash over a doghouse for Lucky.
22. Enemies: A philandering delivery man's affair with Kelly causes problems with his own suspicious girlfriend.
23. Bud Hits The Books: Bud's unauthorized use of the library threatens his graduation.
24. Kiss Of The Coffee Woman: Al and Marcy object to Kelly and Jefferson appearing as a couple in a suggestive TV commercial.
25. Torch Song Duet: Al helps Griff win a pair of tickets to the Olympic Games.
26. The Joke's On Al: Al and Jefferson vie to claim the title of King of Practical Jokes.

The DVD

Video:
The video format is given in its original aspect ratio 1.33:1 full frame color. The overall quality is acceptable. There are some noticeable of compression artifacts and ghosting during heavy movement. Overall, while not outstanding, the visual representation is still good enough. It is better than earlier seasons.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is given in English Dolby digital stereo sound. The audio sounds pretty clean and is very flat. It is as basic as TV on DVD releases get. This release also supports closed captioning.

Extras:
There are no extras included with this DVD release.

Final Thoughts:
In Married With Children's second to last season, the crazy antics of the Bundy's and the Darcy's continue to offer topnotch comedy. The season takes on a similar approach to past seasons and has plenty of fun for everyone. Specifically, this season has some great NO MA'AM plotlines, silly situations in the shoe store, hilarious family problems, and more. It is a must own for fans of the show.